GIFT  OF 


.837 


TARIAN 
PHI  WHY 


EMIbEWARD.KUSt 


Humanitarian 
Philosophy 


By 
LMIL  Z,DWARD  KUSLL 

Extracts  From  His  Letters 


Fourth  Ldition 


Thou  shall  not  kill.— Bible. 
The  individuality  created    by  God  is 
not  carnivorous. — Mary  Baker  G.  E,ddy. 
Kill    not    but    have    regard 
for    life. — Buddha. 


Los  Angeles,  California 
1912 


Copyright  1912 

by  Emil  Edward  Kusel. 

All  rights  reserved. 


NOTE. 


When  one  meets  with  adversity  and 
all  the  world  seems  bitterly  against 
him  or  when  one  realizes  the  short  du- 
ration of  life  and  hopes  for  a  splendid 
immortality,  no  doubt  it  is  a  consola- 
tion for  many  to  read  the  inspired  and 
lofty  sentiments  of  the  Bible. 

Therefore  in  writing  the  following 
epigrams  condemning  inhumanity,  I  felt 
confident  that  kindly  people  would  see 
that  it  is  far  from  my  motive  to  cast 
reflection  upon  any  individual  inclined 
to  accept  the  comforting  and  humane 
passages  of  either  the  Old  or  New  Tes- 
tament. 

I  merely  aimed  to  prove  the  inhuman 
Mosaical  law  giving  man  the  idea  to 
kill  is  not  a  law  of  a  kind  and  loving 
God.  I  also  aimed  to  prove  that  the 
flesh-eating  religionist  is  an  accessory 
to  a  crime  more  bestial  in  the  sight  of 
God  than  any  other  sin  known  to  the 
human  family. 

EMIL  E.  KUSEL. 


-i  a. 


KIND  WORDS. 

"Humanitarian  Philosophy"  has 
taught  me  that  God  and  conscience 
are  in  unison.  I  would  have  liked  to 
condemn  the  writer  for  opening  my  eyes 
to  the  truth,  but  the  Lord  is  on  his 
side. 

"Humanitarian  Philosophy"  is  an  eye 
opener  for  the  true  religionist  who 
never  before  thought  on  the  wicked- 
ness of  killing. 

"Humanitarian  Philosophy"  is  a  bless- 
ing for  those  who  wish  to  live  the 
Christ  life,  although  it  will  not  appeal 
to  the  religionist  who  is  inhumanly 
self-righteous. 

Since  digesting  "Humanitarian  Phi- 
losophy" I  know  a  conscientious  person 
can  read  the  stinging  truth  without  a 
selfish  protest.  The  truth  is  mighty. 

"Humanitarian  Philosophy"  at  first 
reading  made  me  angry,  but  praise  God, 
the  vegetarian's  heart  is  in  the  right 
place. 

"Humanitarian  Philosophy"  is  an  in- 
spiration. 


COMPLIMENTARY. 


Have  always  been  very  much  inter- 
ested in  the  subjects  of  our  able  min- 
isters, but  since  receiving  a  copy  of 
Mr.  Kusel's  philosophy  against  flesh 
eating  I  am  a  convert  to  the  doctrine 
that  neither  minister  nor  congregation 
can  be  "a  child  of  God"  until  they  are 
vegetarians. 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  now  believe 
otherwise  on  account  of  the  tremendous 
cruelty  and  horror  of  taking  the  life  of 
animals. 

I  never  thought  of  the  truth  as  Mr. 
Kusel  puts  its  forth,  and  I  am  surprised 
to  think  preachers  never  preached 
against  blood  food.  I  also  thought  it 
would  be  meet  and  proper  to  criticise 
shoe,  glove  and  belt  wearing,  but  the 
leather  using  is  a  secondary  proposi- 
tion; the  animal  is  first  killed  for  food 
purposes  and  secondarily  to  avoid  th« 
waste  we  may  utilize  the  hide,  and  still 
we  should  discourage  that  argument. 

Mr.  Kusel  is  defending  God  Almighty 
nobly  in  his  "Humanitarian  Philoso- 
phy" and  has  given  the  church  doc- 
trines a  slap  no  man  can  gainsay. 

When  we  favor  meat  eating  we  favor 
killing,  and  when  we  favor  killing  in 
the  name  of  God  we  know  we  are  liars 
and  murderers,  for  God  is  kind  and  lov- 
ing, and  surely  opposes  the  taking  of 
life.  Let  churches  preach  the  murder 
of  animals,  but  pray  do  not  say  wick- 
edness (killing)  is  God's  will.  The 
world  needs  more  conscientious  men 
like  Mr.  Kusel  to  protect  God  Almighty 
from  defamation. 

T.  J.  W. 
(Prom   Los  Angeles  Herald.) 


A  NOBLE  WOMAN. 

Mr.    Emil   Edward   Kusel, 
Los   Angeles,  Cal. 

Dear  Mr.  Kusel: — I  have  been  won- 
derfully guided  and  blessed  by  reading 
"Humanitarian  Philosophy"  as  it  is 
truly  an  inspired  work  that  should  be 
thought  upon  by  all  religious  people. 

The  beauty  of  your  blessed  reason- 
ing is  that  you  cast  all  biblical  chaff 
to  the  four  winds  and  look  to  God  in 
the  true  light  of  love  and  mercy. 

Yes  indeed,  you  show  the  inconsist- 
ency of  a  religion  that  gives  us  an 
evil  right  to  kill  things  while  every 
last  one  of  us,  without  exception,  cling 
to  life  with  the  tenacity  of  a  coward. 

You    fully     convince    me    that    false 

§rophets  had  a  hand  in  writing  the 
criptures  because  God  in  His  Infinite 
Love  could  not  have  created  the  dear 
innocent  lamb  our  Savior  carried  in  his 
bosom  to  be  killed  nor  could  he  have 
created  the  sweet  little  baby  calf  to  be 
slain  and  eaten  by  human  beings.  You 
convince  me  that  God  is  not  in  the 
slaughter-house,  neither  in  the  midst 
of  those  who  patronize  the  butcher  any 
more  than  He  is  in  the  heart  of  the 
wild  beast  of  prey. 

I  do  believe  in  a  personal  God  as  I 
could  not  live  without  hope  for  a 
blissful  future  life  beyond  the  grave. 
This  pilgrimage,  to  me,  without  reli- 
gion would  make  this  world  a  very 
dreary  and  lonesome  place. 

Heretofore  I  lived  a  carnivorous  life, 
always  wondering  why  God  created 
poor  sentient  things  for  human  food 
but  now,  thank  God,  I  realize,  without 
humanitarianism  spirituality  is  not  a 
reality  and  I  applaud  such  men  as  Mr. 
Kusel  for  standing  out  boldly  on  a 
grand  philosophy  that  puts  all  church 
doctrines  to  shame  and  presents  a  reli- 
gion consistent  with  reason. 

Your  trend  of  thought,  my  dear 
brother,  is  indeed  marvelous  from  a 
gracious  heart  and  I  believe  some 
mighty  power  is  preparing  you  for  a 
special  great  work. 

Yours   very    truly, 

MRS.  J.   R.   B. 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  May  16,  1911. 


THE  HERMIT. 

No  flocks  that  roam  the  valley  free, 

To  slaughter  I  condemn, 
Taught  by  the  power  that  pities  me. 

I  learn  to  pity  them. 

— Goldsmith. 


In    religion,    what   damned   error    but    some 
sober  brow  will  bless  it  and  approve  it  with  a 
text,  hiding  the  grossness  with  fair  ornament. 
— Shakespeare, 


The  untold  suffering  the  human  family  sanc- 
tions through  a  wrong  conception  of  what  is 
right,  should  make  every  Christian  heart  ache. 

— Platt. 


When  men  go  hunting  (to  kill)  they  call  it 
sport  but  when  the  hunted  animal  (perhaps 
wounded)  turns  to  fight  for  its  life,  they  call 
that  ferocity. — Shaw. 


Let  all  creatures  live,  as  we  desire  to  live. 

— Tolstoy. 


THE  RELIGION  OF  BUDDHA. 

(An  Idea  from   "Light  of  Asia.") 

'Twere  good  to  be  humane 

to  the  helpless  beast; 
Better  than  to  deplore  the 

sins  of  the  world 
With  priests  who  pray  for 

mankind, 
And  yet  have  no  mercy 

on  God's  dumb  creatures — 
"They  pray  for  mercy 
Whilst   they   themselves 

are  merciless." 

—  Kusel. 


Humanitarian  Philosophy 

By  Lmil  Ldward  Kusel 

No  doubt  some  of  the  conscience-stricken 
readers  will  brand  the  author  of  the  sentiments 
herein  as  an  extremist  rather  than  a  humane  en- 
thusiast, but  bethink  yourself  it  is  far  better  to 
be  "an  extremist"  on  a  logical,  noble  basis  than 
to  be  inconsistent  under  false  pretense. 


The  author  is  presenting  truths  from  an  abso- 
lutely rational  standpoint  standing  firmly  on  a 
real  philosophical  basis  that  cannot  be  over- 
thrown by  a  cyclone  of  protests  from  the  "re- 
ligious" flesh-eating  faction. 

The  idea  is  to  show  that  man,  when  he  gets 
"right  with  God,"  drifts  away  from  the  cus- 
toms of  ancient  times  and  reasons  from  the 
Golden  Rule  foundation  which  is  consistent 
with  a  higher  life  and  makes  him  religiously  hu- 
mane as  well  as  "pious." 


You  may  allow  your  quasi-religious  principle  to 
prevail  against  reason;  you  may  pout  and  cry 
against  the  Humanitarian's  noble  philosophy; 
you  may  dream  of  the  imps  of  hell  awaiting  his 
quietus;  you  may  consult  your  Bible  to  bless 
your  inhumanity  and  yet  mercy  for  our  dumb 
fellow-creatures  is  unselfish,  pure  and  gentle, 
resultant  from  a  proper  conception  of  man's  su- 
periority and  his  God. 


8  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

If  a  man's  religion  is  pure  and  good  and  un- 
defiled  it  would  be  wrong  to  present  facts  to 
blast  his  belief  (be  it  ever  so  superstitious)  ; 
however,  when  he  insists  upon  inhumanity  to- 
ward any  sentient  creature,  he  should  be  severely 
criticised. 


The  scriptural  passages  that  are  well  flavored 
with  indecency  and  the  scriptural  inhumanity 
written  in  God's  name  are  not  one  whit  more 
inspired  than  are  the  objectionable  lines  of  sen- 
sational literature. 


The  Bible  has  caused  more  bloodshed,  more 
hatred;  made  more  hypocrites  and  caused  more 
suffering  than  all  else  combined.  It  is  a  book 
containing  some  lofty  ideas  and  moral  laws  by 
good  men,  but  the  many  inconsistencies  therein 
have  caused  superstition,  imagination,  insanity, 
contemptibility  and  horrible  cruelty  that  haunts 
the  brain  of  the  honorable  thinking  masses. 


It  is  proper  to  impress  indelibly  in  the  minds 
of  the  pretenders  of  the  several  creeds  "Thou 
shalt  not  kill;"  neither  shalt  thou  be  accessory 
in  the  killing  by  encouraging  the  slaughter 
through  patronage. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  9 

You  may  erect  your  massive  temples  and 
dedicate  them  to  Jehovah ;  you  may  pray  to  your 
heart's  content  and  sing  psalms  until  doomsday, 
yet  the  earthquake,  the  cyclone,  the  tornado, 
the  volcano  overthrows  the  synagogue,  the  ca- 
thedral, the  church,  the  brothel  and  the  saloon 
without  distinction.  Evidently  the  god  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac  and  Jacob  is  not  omnipresent  to  pro- 
tect an  institution  that  stands  for  inhumanity. 


One  of  the  most  noticeable  inconsistencies 
ever  presented  to  thinking  people  is  the  repre- 
sentation of  "Divine  Love"  portrayed  under  the 
title  "Peace,"  symbolized  by  a  child  leading 
the  cow,  the  calf,  the  lion,  the  leopard  and  the 
lamb.  This  taken  from  the  Bible,  is  supposed 
to  represent,  "And  a  little  child  shall  lead 
them." 

Just  think  of  symbolizing  "Peace"  with  an 
innocent  child  leading  animals  we  actually  mur- 
der! No  doubt  every  religionist  looks  upon 
that  painting  as  a  masterpiece — an  inspiration. 
Yet  most  of  them  sanction  the  slaughter  of  in- 
nocence by  relishing  a  lamb  chop  or  a  veal 
cutlet. 

"And  a  little  child  shall  lead  them!" 
Whither?  To  the  slaughter?  Is  not  that  a 
miserable  symbolization  of  "Divine  Love"  and 
"Peaces- 
Such  inconsistency  painted  in  the  name  of  re- 
ligion is  an  abomination  and  deserves  strenuous 
criticism. 


10  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

Not  the  least  in  the  realm  of  inconsistency 
are  the  Jewish  people  who  fast  on  their  day  of 
atonement  and  break  the  Sabbath  fifty-two  times 
a  year  by  bartering.  Now  where  is  the  con- 
sistency in  such  an  atonement  when  the  Bible 
says  explicitly:  "Remember  the  Sabbath  day 
and  keep  it  holy." 

Such  incongruity  is  practised  universally 
among  the  orthodox  as  well  as  the  reformed 
element.  Like  the  Gentile,  the  Jewish  relig- 
ionist, notwithstanding  that  he  admits  the  horror 
of  viewing  the  death  throes  of  a  butchered  ani- 
mal, eats  his  flesh  food  "kosher"  to  satisfy  his 
palate  rather  than  live  up  to  the  promptings 
of  conscience. 


Judaism,  Catholicism,  Protestantism,  and 
Christian  Sciencism  alike  disregard  the  sacred- 
ness  of  all  animal  kingdom,  and  yet,  after  admit- 
ting the  horror  of  the  slaughter  pen,  they  all  en- 
courage the  merciless  killing  under  the  cloak 
of  the  Bible. 


"The  devil  can  cite  Scripture  for  his  pur- 
pose" may  well  be  applied  to  the  religionist  who 
upholds  the  killing  of  our  dumb  fellow  crea- 
tures. 


The  fact  that  the  Bible  encourages  the  mur- 
der of  an  animal  proves  it  is  not  entirely  from 
the  pen  of  holy  men. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  11 

The  individual  who  professes  religion  and 
says  it  is  right  to  slay  and  eat  when  he  can  live 
without  taking  sentient  life,  on  the  vegetation 
which  nature  so  bountifully  provides,  is  a  liar, 
a  murderer  and  a  hypocrite  in  his  own  higher 
conscience. 


The  so-called  devout  man  wants  to  live  and 
enjoy  life,  but  he  eats  of  the  innocent  animal 
that  has  been  battered  to  death  by  the  blow  of 
the  ax;  he  contends  that  a  body  which  suffers 
pain  was  created  for  slaughter  to  satisfy  his 
beastly  palate.  Such  a  man  is  destitute  of  the 
very  essence  of  God-life  be  he  minister,  church- 
goer or  layman. 


Above  all  things  the  minister  of  the  Gospel 
and  the  church  attendant  should  be  kind  and 
considerate  toward  all  animal  creation  and 
should  construe  the  Scriptures  and  preach  to 
prove  the  sacredness  of  their  Holy  Bible.  They 
should  do  God's  will  one  earth  as  it  is  in 
Heaven,  absolutely  abstaining  from  the  flesh- 
pots  of  Egypt,  thereby  discouraging  the  blot- 
ting out  of  animal  life,  proving  conclusively 
by  their  lives  that  their  God  is  just  and  kind 
and  merciful. 


The  man  who  opposes  the  spilling  of  life 
blood  of  Nature's  creatures  is  on  the  higher 
plane  of  life. 


12  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

After  searching  for  a  mode  of  living  through 
which  we  might  find  perfect  peace  on  earth 
and  good  will  toward  our  fellow-men,  we  be- 
come partially  interested  in  the  different  re- 
ligions, but  we  cannot  conscientiously  close  our 
eyes  and  believe  a  meat-eating,  gormandizing 
religionist  is  undefiled  and  passing  on  to  spiritual 
perfection  to  ultimately,  at  dissolution,  burst 
into  a  glorious  immortality. 


Read  the  memorable  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
supposed  to  have  been  delivered  by  Christ  Jesus, 
and  note  the  humility,  the  tenderness,  the  love 
and  all  therein  that  is  grand  and  noble — then 
decide  that  such  a  meek  and  lowly  Nazarene 
could  have  eaten  of  the  fleshpots  or  even  have 
sanctioned  the  killing  of  any  living  creature,  and 
you  deprive  that  character  of  the  very  essence 
of  divinity. 


Flesh  eating  man*s  religion  cannot  emanate 
from  a  kindly  heart  because  with  all  his  intel- 
lectuality and  knowledge  of  right  and  wrong, 
his  animalistic  tendencies  are  in  excess.  His 
horror  for  the  slaughter  pen  is  conclusive  and 
positive  evidence  that  the  higher  consciousness 
is  dormant  proving  that  carnivorous  man  hath 
no  pre-eminence  above  the  beast. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  13 

We  fail  to  see  any  Christianity  in  the  pres- 
ent-day Sunday  churchianity,  and  we  positively 
know  there  is  nothing  sacred  in  the  person  up- 
holding the  merciless  slaughter  of  animals. 
Through  all  this  we  are  made  to  fully  realize 
the  inconsistency  of  nearly  all  religious  profes- 
sions. We  finally  study  the  Laws  of  Nature, 
and  we  live  from  that  time  on  according  to  the 
dictates  of  conscience  and  reason,  with  some 
little  faith  in  addition.  The  first  thought  that 
impresses  us  is  the  inhuman  custom  of  taking 
life  blood,  knowing  that  every  man,  woman 
and  child,  who  possesses  an  atom  of  feeling, 
would  shudder  to  look  upon  the  butchery  of 
our  dumb  fellow-creatures,  and  we  know  if  the 
horror  of  the  slaughter  pen  is  admitted,  it  surely 
is  a  heinous  crime  to  slaughter.  Then  we  begin  to 
delve  deep  into  the  real  scientific  subjects  of  real 
scientific  men  and  really  discover  the  real  body 
builders  are  proper  food,  proper  mastication, 
proper  air  and  proper  breathing,  and  occasional 
proper  fasting,  etc.  We  live  the  life  as  rec- 
ommended by  these  noble  logicians  and  bene- 
factors. Now  we  look  from  the  heights  to  the 
vast  expanse  of  empty  faith  cure,  cults  and  isms, 
creeds  and  dogmas,  and  theories,  and  realize 
how  narrow  they  all  are  by  not  embodying  hu- 
manitarianism  and  the  laws  of  health  and  hy- 
giene in  their  teachings. 


From  a  spiritual  conception,  it  is  just  as 
reasonable  to  recommend  human  cannibalism  as 
the  eating  of  butcher  shop  carrion. 


14  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

The  25th  day  of  December  is  the  day  set 
aside  to  present  gifts  to  our  sweethearts,  wives 
and  friends;  the  day  Santa  Claus  brings  toys 
to  our  little  ones  to  overflow  their  little  hearts 
with  gladness,  but  mainly  to  commemorate  the 
birth  of  one  of  the  kindliest  characters  the  world 
has  ever  known. 

That  holy  day  is  horribly  desecrated  by  the 
quasi-pious  element  throughout  our  Christian 
land  in  the  killing  of  countless  numbers  of  Na- 
ture's sentient  creation. 

Thanksgiving  Day,  likewise  set  aside  for  a 
sacred  purpose — to  thank  God  for  the  many 
blessings  bestowed  upon  our  great  nation — is  also 
desecrated  by  religious  people  as  well  as  by  the 
laity.  On  the  day  we  should  send  our  thanks 
to  that  invisible  something  (The  First  Great 
Cause)  we  praise  an  imaginary  personal  deity 
by  killing  things  to  satiate  the  craving  of  the 
palate. 


The  Bible  condemns  the  eating  of  swine  flesh 
Deut.  14:  8;  Is.  65:  4),  but  what  care  the 
pharisee  so  long  as  he  intends  pleasing  the  palate 
rather  than  obey  the  law  of  his  God  and  con- 
science ? 


When  we  reach  the  Holy  Mountain  (con- 
sistent religion)  we  will  abstain  from  eating 
flesh  food  and  have  a  heartfelt  desire  for  all 
creatures  to  live  and  enjoy  life  as  we  wish  to 
live  (Golden  Rule.) 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  16 

Selfish  civilized  intellectual  human  takes  his 
gun  and  repairs  to  the  forest  and  wantonly 
slaughters  wild  game.  Perhaps  he  kills  out- 
right; perhaps  he  wounds;  perhaps  the  animal 
he  has  wounded  is  dying  a  slow,  painful  death; 
perhaps  he  wounds  or  kills  a  mother  and  the 
young  are  starving  in  nest  or  lair,  and  perhaps 
a  professed  Jew,  Catholic,  Protestant  or  Chris- 
tian Scientist  is  relishing  the  seasoned  carrion 
while  the  little  ones  are  dying  for  the  want  of 
that  mother's  care.  God  forbid  the  belief  in 
such  a  god! 


The  huntsman,  who  wounds  the  wild  game, 
goes  to  his  couch  and  rests  peacefully  while 
the  poor  dumb,  wounded  animal  is  dying  in 
the  forest,  suffering  most  excruciating  pain. 

The  deer,  the  dove,  the  quail  and  all  of 
Nature's  blood  creation  must  suffer  with  horri- 
fying wounds  at  the  hands  of  the  thoughtless, 
cruel  hunter;  upheld  by  so-called  religious  peo- 
ple who  contend  that  such  inhumanity  is  per- 
missible in  God's  sight. 

This  very  day  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
our  dumb  fellow-creatures  are  suffering  agon- 
izing deaths  caused  through  wounds  inflicted 
by  the  merciless  hunter;  and  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  professed  Jews,  Catholics,  Protest- 
ants and  Christian  Scientists  worship  the  god 
that  tolerates  such  cruelty.  Hypocrisy!  In- 
consistency! Shame! 


16  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

Sift  mankind  down  to  his  noblest  thought, 
and  he  must  admit  the  life  of  an  animal  is  just 
as  sacred  as  his  own. 


Knowing  that  all  humanity  feels  the  horrors 
of  taking  the  life  blood  of  defenseless  animals, 
you  are  compelled  to  condemn  every  religious 
institution  that  does  not  embody  within  its  creed 
the  vegetarian  diet. 


Animals  instinctively  flee  from  danger,  and 
suffer  pain,  which  proves  the  brute  creation  has 
a  right  to  an  appointed  time  upon  the  earth. 
When  man  slaughters  these  helpless  creatures 
under  the  selfish  idea  that  they  were  created  for 
that  purpose,  he  is  destitute  of  divine  principle. 


The  almighty  dollar  is  the  god  of  the  civi- 
lized people — mankind  takes  the  sacred  life 
blood  of  God's  creatures  and  barters  the  car- 
cass in  exchange  for  money.  Nearly  all  clergy- 
men and  the  laity  eat  of  the  murdered  animal. 
Shame ! 


Let  us  be  at  least  considerate  and  reason  on 
the  side  of  mercy.  If  your  religion  sanctions 
the  killing  of  innocent  animals,  well  then,  in  the 
name  of  all  that  is  pure  and  good,  lay  aside 
your  religion  and  get  your  soul  in  tune  with  the 
Infinite,  and  then  use  your  faculties  of  reason 
to  develop  up  to  the  highest  ideal. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  17 

Condemn  the  killing  of  innocent,  defenseless 
animals,  and  do  away  with  the  fleshpots  of 
Egypt,  and  praise  Deity  for  endowing  you  with 
reason  sufficient  to  realize  the  wrong  of  shed- 
ding life  blood,  and  then  sing  hosannas  for  the 
nobility  of  living  according  to  the  promptings  of 
higher  conscience. 


Do  not  think  of  the  savory  beef  and  mutton 
as  it  hangs  in  the  market  place,  but  turn  your 
mind  and  heart  to  the  abattoirs  and  see  the 
horror  of  slaughter  and  then  acknowledge  that 
if  God  is  not  in  the  slaughter  house  to  hinder 
the  killing  of  a  dumb  brute  he  is  surely  not  in 
the  churches  reserving  crowns  and  halos  for 
a  sanctimonious  element  whose  palate  takes 
precedence  of  principle. 


The  church  folk  encourage  the  killing  of 
quadruped,  fish  and  fowl  and  then  have  the 
audacity  to  say  grace  at  meal  time,  thanking 
God  and  imploring  Him  to  shower  blessings 
upon  them. 


You  believe  in  all  that  elevates  man  to  the 
highest  standard  of  excellence  and  yet  in  the 
eating  of  a  slaughtered  animal  you  are  an  ac- 
cessory to  the  crime  of  murder — a  crime  that 
is  far  more  morally  wrong  and  horrible  than 
any  so-called  venial  sin. 


18  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

The  man  who  "believes"  and  has  "faith" 
solely  for  his  soul's  safety  through  fear  rather 
than  through  love;  the  man  who  affiliates  with 
the  church  with  mercenary  motive;  the  man  who 
testifies  with  lying  tongue  to  the  virtue  of  his 
carnivorous  unfeeling  religion;  the  man  who 
shifts  the  blame  of  his  cussedness  to  the  myth- 
ical Satan;  the  man  who  is  weak  and  bent  to- 
ward religious  emotionalism;  the  man  who  sees 
the  mote  in  every  eye  but  his  own;  the  man 
who  stands  on  the  street  corner  preaching  hell 
and  damnation,  "fighting  the  devil,"  are  the 
sorts  of  men  who  decry  that  all  beings  have  an 
equal  right  to  live. 


If  perchance  a  fellow  human  becomes  tired 
and  weary  of  the  vicissitudes  of  this  world  and 
cancels  his  own  captivity  (suicide),  we  franti- 
cally throw  up  our  hands  realizing  the  enor- 
mity of  such  a  crime. 

His  life  is  his  own  and  he  may  do  as  he 
pleases ;  his  sin  of  self-destruction  is  between  him- 
self and  his  God,  and  yet  we  grieve  at  such  a  sad 
exit.  The  very  same  man  who  shudders  at  the 
uncanny  thought  of  another's  self-murder  will 
uphold  the  killing  of  a  dumb  brute  to  satiate 
the  "human"  palate.  The  animal  does  not  want 
to  die  yet  the  intelligent  man  who  has  a  "merci- 
ful loving  God"  makes  murder  permissible  tak- 
ing his  authority  from  the  book  he  calls  "The 
Sacred  Bible." 


HUMANITARIAN   PHILOSOPHY  19 

The  Proverbs,  the  Psalms,  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  and  many  other  portions  of  the 
Good  Book  are  beautiful,  and  no  doubt  the 
writers  of  the  select  passages  were  inspired,  but 
the  evil  spirit  was  surely  predominant  in  the 
man  who  depicted  the  Prince  of  Peace,  in  all 
his  humility,  as  a  flesh  eater. 


A  pitiful  story  to  be  told  about  a  little  girl 
whose  father  was  supposed  to  be  very  devout, 
and  in  whose  residence  the  motto, 

"GODI  s  NOW  HERE  i  NOUR  HOME" 
adorned   the   wall,   confusedly  printed   by   her 
illiterate  parent. 

One  beautiful  day,  as  all  nature  seemed  in 
perfect  harmony,  the  child  strolled  to  the  barn- 
yard where  the  hired  man  was  killing  the  petted 
calf  preparatory  to  having  a  great  feast  in  honor 
of  the  son,  returning  from  a  western  college  of 
theology. 

A  thought  struck  the  child  as  she  saw  the 
life  blood  of  an  innocent  animal  ebbing  away, 
through  a  horrible  knife  wound. 

She  hastened  back  to  her  father's  home,  sad 
but  wiser,  and  appropriately  divided  the  motto 
on  the  wall: 

GOD  IS  NO  WHERE  IN  OUR  HOME, 
or    as    Daniel    interpreted    King    Belshazzar's 
dream,      the      thinking      child      weighed      her 
papa  in  the  balances  and  found  him  very  much 
wanting  in  God  principle. 


20  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

Many  so-called  pious  people  throughout  the 
land  condemn  theaters,  dancing,  sociable  drink- 
ing, prize-fighting,  card  playing,,  pastima 
smoking,  Sunday  recreation,  the  innocent  cus- 
tom of  Santa  Claus  and  the  comic  supplements 
of  our  Sunday  newspapers,  yet  none  of  these 
pleasures  and  pastimes  could  be  half  so  abomi- 
nable and  sinful  as  the  encouragement  of 
slaughter. 


Every  church  member  construes  the  Scriptures 
to  please  his  own  individuality;  sometimes  he 
construes  literally  but  when  the  passage  does 
not  coincide  with  his  appetite  or  manner  of 
living  he  invariably  finds  a  figurative  meaning. 


We  justify  almost  any  sort  of  life  by  the 
Holy  Bible,  but  we  cannot  pull  the  blinds  over 
the  eyes  of  conscience. 


The  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union 
cannot  influence  towards  reformation  effective- 
ly; the  women  of  this  religious  order  are  trying 
to  defeat  liquor  and  cigarette  traffic,  yet  loth 
to  realize  under  their  profession  of  Christianity, 
they  are  sinners  greater  than  either  the  unfor- 
tunate cigarette  fiend  or  the  drunkard,  because 
they  all  admit  the  horror  of  killing,  at  the  same 
time  relishing  a  mess  of  carrion,  thereby  virtual- 
ly encouraging  the  killer  to  kill  more. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  21 

The  tiger  pounces  upon  the  giraffe  and  rides 
it  to  death,  all  the  while  tearing  the  flesh  from 
the  bleeding  animal ;  the  puma  pounces  upon  the 
mountain  goat;  the  hyena  tears  the  entrails  from 
its  living  prey  and  the  cat  pounces  upon  the 
beautiful  song  bird  and  takes  its  innocent  life — 
where  is  your  merciful,  loving,  personal  God? 


The  religionist  who  lives  on  hallucination  or 
believes  that  faith  alone  "is  the  substance  of 
things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not 
seen,"  and  will  not  reason,  is  living  in  the  dark 
ages  still. 


If  one  desires  going  into  absolute  truth  con- 
cerning the  killing  of  helpless  animals,  he 
may  justly  condemn  the  wearing  of  leather 
shoes,  gloves,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  worn  con- 
trary to  Nature's  Law. 


The  self-styled  religious  element  send  mis- 
sionaries to  foreign  lands  to  spread  the  gospel 
of  love  when  they,  themselves,  as  well  as  those 
they  send,  are  insufficiently  human  to  recognize 
the  brutality  of  slaughter. 


Take  man  to  the  slaughter  house  to  view 
the  butchery,  and  then  if  he  contends  God 
created  helpless,  dumb  brutes  for  the  slaughter 
pen,  he  is  positively  heartless.  If  he  shudders 
to  witness  the  hideous  butchery,  that  proves 
conclusively  that  God  is  not  omnipresent. 


22  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

If  man  wishes  to  disregard  spirituality  and 
remain  an  agnostic,  infidel  or  an  atheist,  that  is 
his  privilege  and  he  may  continue  eating  carrion 
and  encouraging  slaughter,  from  the  lower  ani- 
mal plane,  but  when  he  steps  over  the  threshold 
into  religion  and  affiliates  with  the  churches  and 
talks  of  man's  pre-eminence  above  the  beast  he 
must  of  necessity  be  in  sympathy  with  his  dumb 
fellow  creatures  and  abstain  from  flesh-eating 
to  discourage  all  things  not  in  harmony  with 
God.  (Higher  self). 


Does  it  not  hurt  the  innocent  lamb  when 
you  cut  its  little  throat?  Does  it  not  hurt  the 
little  calf  when  you  take  its  tender  life?  Does 
it  not  hurt  the  cow  when  you  wield  the  axe  with 
tremendous  force  against  its  forehead?  Does  it 
not  hurt  the  sheep  when  in  the  agonies  of  death? 
Does  it  not  hurt  when  the  goat  pitifully  gurgles 
the  sound  "Oh  Lord,"  as  its  life-blood  is  pass- 
ing the  butcher's  knife?  If  pain  does  attend 
this  horrible  inhumanity  of  man,  what  right 
then  has  he  to  establish  for  himself  a  God  in 
Heaven  when  in  reality  he  hath  no  more  feel- 
ing in  his  miserable  carcass  than  hath  the  can- 
nibal of  the  uncivilized  isles. 


All  things  may  be  possible  to  God,  but  the 
idea  of  placing  the  breath  of  life  into  our  fel- 
low-beings to  be  snuffed  out  by  a  superior  in- 
tellectual animal  is  the  absurdest  of  all  absurdi- 
ties. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  23 

Dancing,  theater-going,  rag-time  music,  and 
all  other  pleasures  to  kill  the  monotony  of  daily 
routine,  are  under  the  ban  of  the  churches.  We 
carry  ourselves  aloof  from  these  awful  (?)  sins 
and  walk  in  the  attitude  of  solemnity  to  impress 
Almighty  God  with  our  piety.  We  preach 
against  liquor  and  tobacco  while  we  ourselves 
are  addicted  to  the  use  of  tea  and  coffee  (stimu- 
lants). We  condemn  everything  we  ourselves 
do  not  care  for  and  we  jealously  admonish  others 
to  be  just  like  us.  Now  if  dancing,  theater- 
going, rag-time  music,  etc.,  and  the  immoralities 
of  life  are  sins  of  venial  proportion,  of  what  co- 
lossal magnitude  must  be  the  sin  of  taking  life 
we  cannot  restore  and  how  immeasurably  hellish 
are  the  churches  that  uphold  the  killing  in  the 
name  of  a  merciful  God! 


The  dumb  animals  were  created  by  Nature 
same  as  man  (except  that  we  are  a  little  above 
the  animal  in  intellect),  and  have  a  divine  right 
to  live  out  their  respective  allotted  time  same  as 
man  (minister,  church-goer  or  layman.) 


The  Buddhist  who  regards  all  animal  life  sa- 
cred is  on  the  right  path  to  spirituality,  while  the 
carnivorous  Jew,  Catholic  and  Protestant  are 
drifting  in  the  rut  of  dark  age  fantasy  and 
fanaticism. 


24  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS 


Q. — Are  you  not  a  little  bit  radical  on  the 
subject  of  Humanitarianism? 

A.  To  you  I  may  be  "a  little  bit  radical* ' 
because  I  oppose  all  religions  (yours  inclusive) 
which  make  mankind  selfish  and  unfeeling. 

Q.  If  the  Bible  teaches  me  to  slay  and  eat 
have  I  not  a  right  to  eat  flesh? 

A.  Yes,  a  legal  right  and  your  Bible  right, 
but  not  a  moral  right. 

Q.  Do  not  some  people  believe  it  is  right 
to  slay  and  eat  lower  animals? 

A.  Yes,  from  their  palate,  but  all  honor- 
able conscientious  men  see  a  wrong  in  taking 
life. 

Q.  Has  not  environment  throughout  one's 
life  something  to  do  with  our  eating  of  flesh? 

A.  Yes,  but  come  out  of  it  and  be  in  line 
with  a  grander,  nobler  and  consistent  life.  Lay 
aside  your  palate  and  let  your  conscience  rule. 

Q.      Is  not  the  devil  in  your  philosophy? 

A.  It  seems  so  to  you  because  it  is  an  expose 
of  churchianity,  proving  beyond  question  the 
nothingness  of  the  flesh  eating  religionist's  piety. 

Q.  Suppose  man  lives  in  a  country  where 
he  cannot  find  vegetarian  food? 

A.  Then  he  might  be  justified  in  eating 
flesh  to  preserve  his  life. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  25 

QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS 


Q.  If  there  is  no  personal  God,  who  created 
this  world  ? 

A.  It  is  a  scientific  proposition,  and 
so  acknowledged  by  all  thinking  men. 

Q.  Do  church  people  get  angry  at  your 
philosophy  ? 

A.  Yes,  sometimes,  as  when  their  con- 
science is  seared  by  a  hot  iron. 

Q.      Have  not  vegetables  life? 

A.  Not  life  which  suffers  an  evident  pain 
nor  do  they  flee  when  you  threaten  to  pluck 
them.  Such  a  question  is  invariably  asked  by  a 
carnivorous  wiseacre. 

Q.  Why  are  all  Vegetarians  lank,  lean  and 
skinny  ? 

A.  Because  you  like  the  taste  of  meat  and 
intend  to  continue  eating  it. 

Q.  I  know  animals  have  fear  and  pain,  but 
supposing  God  did  place  them  on  earth  for  man 
to  slay  and  eat,  what  then? 

A.  "God"  is  no  better  then  than  your 
•'devil." 

Q.  What  were  animals  created  for? 

A.  What  were  YOU  created  for? 

Q.  What  is  your  conception  of  God? 

A.  Nature.      Higher   self — Conscience. 


26  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS 


Q.  Do  you  not  kill  insects  when  you  drink 
water;  and  do  you  not  cripple  and  trample 
harmless  bugs  to  death  with  every  step  you  take  ? 

A.  Yes,  but  involuntarily  and  not  with  pre- 
meditation and  not  selfishly  to  satisfy  an  inhu- 
man desire  or  appetite. 

Q.  Would  you  "swat"  a  fly  or  kill  a  flea 
or  a  snake? 

A.  If  a  pest  or  venomous  reptile  disturbed 
my  peace  and  quiet  I  would  be  justified  in  pro- 
tecting myself. 

Q.  Is  not  the  survival  of  the  fittest  a  natural 
law;  consequently  being  superior  I  may  slay  and 
eat? 

A.  That's  your  idea  because  the  "fittest"  is 
yourself — in  your  own  estimation  and  power;  but 
there's  no  godliness  in  such  a  contention.  It  is 
your  selfish  conclusion  that  might  is  right  at  the 
expense  of  sentient  life. 

Q.  Do  I  not  work  hard  and  do  I  not  know 
that  I  need  meat  to  sustain  me  in  my  manual 
labor?  Do  I  not  know  what  my  system  needs. 

A.  Your  system  does  not  require  food  which 
must  come  from  a  murdered  animal !  When  you 
contend  that  you  must  subsist  on  flesh,  you  know 
not  whereof  you  speak.  You  are  talking  to  up- 
hold your  inhuman  appetite. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  27 

QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS 


Q.  Where  would  medical  research  be  were 
it  not  for  vivisection  (torture)  and  killing  ani- 
mals for  experiment  in  the  interest  of  science? 

A.  I  do  not  know,  but  I  do  know  scientific 
men  have  not  a  moral  right  to  torture  and  kill 
harmless,  helpless  animals.  Experimenting  in 
surgery,  etc.,  should  be  done  on  humans  who  be- 
lieve in  the  advancement  of  medical  science  at 
the  expense  of  life. 

Q.  Do  you  object  to  the  infidel  eating  flesh 
food? 

A.  I  do  not  object  to  anyone  eating  flesh 
food — eat  whatever  you  like,  but  I  do  point 
out  the  wrong  of  taking  life  and  I  emphatically 
say  the  religious  institution  upholding  slaughter 
is  a  farce  and  a  pharisaical  monument  to  a  man- 
made  diety. 

Q.  Do  you  actually  consider  flesh  eating 
the  most  abominable  of  sins? 

A.      Yes,  absolutely  the  most  abominable. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  religious  emo- 
tionalism and  ecstasy? 

A.  If  from  the  mouth  of  a  carnivorous 
worshipper  it  is  sham  and  pretense — a  mockery » 

Q.  Is  not  your  feeling  toward  animals 
mawkish  sentimentality? 

A.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  mawkish  sen- 
timentality in  decrying  inhumanity. 


28  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS 


Q.  Do  not  the  lower  animals  prey  upon 
one  another,  and  do  not  the  big  fish  eat  the  lit- 
tle fish? 

A.  You  profess  to  be  above  the  inferior 
animals  and  you  profess  to  have  a  soul ;  you  also 
have  a  Golden  Rule  supposed  to  have  been 
handed  down  by  a  kind  and  merciful  Creator. 

Q.  What  shall  we  do  with  all  the  animals 
if  we  do  not  kill  them? 

A.      Is  that  why  you  eat  flesh? 

Q.  Do  you  really  think  carnivorous 
churchites  are  not  of  God? 

A.  I  don't  think  it,  I  £non>  it  absolutely,  be- 
cause I  know  it  is  wrong  to  kill  and  I  know  they 
know  it  and  I  know  they  search  the  Scriptures 
for  "proof"  to  satisfy  palate  while  Conscience 
rebels. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  a  religionist  who 
says,  "I  am  living  under  a  new  dispensation 
since  Christ  came  and  went,  and  I  now  eat  any- 
thing the  Lord  sets  before  me?" 

A.  If  he  means  he  can  eat  at  the  expense 
of  sentient  life  he  is  not  a  Godly  man;  he  is 
not  living  in  harmony  with  the  Golden  Rule; 
he  is  not  living  according  to  the  promptings  of 
a  higher  self,  consequently  the  God  spirit  is  dor- 
mant. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  29 

The  church  carnivora's  favorite  Bible  quota- 
tions to  justify  his  inhumanity  are  invariably 
quoted  from  a  petrified  conscience  and  the  re- 
gion of  the  palate.  Here  are  several  of  the 
passages : 

"There  is  nothing  from  without  a 
man,  enterting  into  him  can  defile  him; 
but  the  things  which  come  out  of  him, 
those  are  they  that  defile  the  man." 


"For  one  believeth  that  he  may  eat  all 
things;  another,  who  is  weak,  eateth 
herbs.  But  to  him  that  esteemeth  any- 
thing to  be  unclean  to  him  it  is  un- 
clean." 


"Now  the  spirit  speaketh  expressly, 
that  in  the  latter  times  some  shall  de- 
part from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  se- 
ducing spirits  and  doctrines  of  devils. 
Speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy;  having  their 
conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron;  com- 
manding to  abstain  from  meats,  which 
God  hath  created  to  be  received  with 
thanksgiving  of  them,  which  believe  and 
know  the  truth.  For  every  creature  of 
God  is  good,  and  nothing  to  be  refused, 
if  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving;  for 
it  is  sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and 
prayer." 


"In  a  trance  I  saw  a  vision;  a  certain 
vessel  descend  as  it  had  been  a  great 
sheet  let  down  from  heaven  by  four  cor- 
ners. I  considered  and  saw  four-footed 
beasts  of  the  earth  and  beasts  and 
creeping  things  and  fowls  of  the  air; 
and  a  voice  said  unto  me,  Arise,  Peter, 
slay  and  eat." 


30  HUMANITAPvIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

IN  AND  BETWEEN  THE  LINES 


The  Bible  says:  Be  not  among  eaters  of 
flesh. 

The  Bible  says:  It  is  better  to  hear  the  re- 
buke of  the  wise  than  to  hear  the  hymns  of  fools. 

The  Bible  says:  If  an  animal  dieth  of  itself 
do  not  eat  it  but  give  it  to  thy  neighbor  and  let 
him  eat  thereof. 

The  Bible  says:  Who  knoweth  that  the 
spirit  of  man  goeth  upward  and  the  spirit  of  the 
beast  goeth  downward? 

The  Bible  says:  Your  stomachs  are  an  open 
sepulchre. 

The  Bible  says:  Blessed  are  the  merciful, 
for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

The  Bible  says:  Prove  all  things  and  hold 
fast  ot  that  which  is  good. 

The  Bible  says:  Do  not  be  as  the  hypocrites 
are,  testifying  in  public  places  and  yet  living 
apart  from  God. 

The  Bible  says:  Reason  is  too  high  for  a 
fool. 

The  Bible  says:  He  that  follows  after  mercy 
findeth  life. 

The  Bible  says:  The  wise  man's  eyes  are  in 
his  head  (he  reasons),  but  the  fool's  eyes  are 
neither  here  nor  there,  he  walketh  in  darkness. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  31 

IN  AND  BETWEEN  THE  LINES. 


The  Bible  says:  When  a  man's  ways  are  in 
harmony  with  higher  consciousness  he  maketh 
his  enemies  be  at  peace  with  him. 

The  Bible  says:  The  Spirit  of  God  made 
Samson  a  murderer. 

The  Bible  says:  The  beasts  of  the  field  shall 
honor  me. 

The  Bible  says:  Fool  thou  art  to  believe  all 
that  the  prophets  have  said. 

The  Bible  says:  God  sent  plagues  to  tor- 
ment his  people. 

The  Bible  says:     Shed  not  innocent  blood. 

The  Bible  says:  Praise  the  Lord  every  living 
creature — the  beasts  of  the  field,  the  birds  of 
the  air  and  earth,  the  fish  of  the  waters  and 
all  mankind. 

The  Bible  says:  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  Heaven. 

The  Bible  says:  Thou  art  weighed  in  the 
balances  and  art  found  wanting. 

The  Bible  says:  There  are  many  false  lords 
and  false  gods  the  people  are  worshipping. 

The  Bible  says:  Come  now,  let  us  reason 
together. 

The  Bible  says:  Faith  without  works  is  dead. 

The  Bible  says:  He  that  killeth  an  ox  is  as 
if  he  slew  a  human. 


32  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

IN  AND  BETWEEN  THE  LINES. 


The  Bible  says:  Beast  and  man  have  one 
breath;  so  that  man  hath  no  pre-eminence  above 
the  beast;  as  one  dieth  so  dieth  the  other. 

The  Bible  says:  Thou  hast  neither  part  nor 
lot  in  this  matter  for  thy  heart  is  not  right  in 
the  sight  of  God. 

The  Bible  says:  Every  moving  thing  that 
liveth  (grain,  fruits,  vegetables,  nuts,  etc.)  shall 
be  food  for  you,  but  flesh  with  the  life  thereof 
which  is  blood  shall  ye  not  eat. 

The  Bible  says:  God  blessed  every  creature. 

The  Bible  says:  Behold  I  have  given  you 
every  herb  bearing  seed,  which  is  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth  and  every  tree,  on  the  which  is 
the  fruit  of  a  tree  yielding  seed;  to  you  it  shall 
be  for  food. 

The  Bible  says:  All  that  cry  Lord,  Lord, 
are  not  of  God. 

The  Bible  says:  They  shall  not  hurt  nor 
destroy  in  all  my  Holy  Mountain. 

The  Bible  says:    I  am  God,  I  change  not. 

The  Bible  says:  Do  a  little  consistent  heart 
cleaning  so  that  the  human  mind's  eye  shall  be 
spiritual  to  see  and  segregate  right  from  wrong. 

The  Bible  says:  Christ  taught  love,  leniency, 
forgiveness,  tenderness  and  mercy. 

The  Bible  says:  Dead  flies  cause  the  apothe- 
cary's ointment  to  send  forth  a  stinking  savour. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  33 

Capital  punishment  or  legalized  murder  is 
another  miscarriage  of  consistency;  it  does  not 
dovetail  into  mercy  and  it  does  not  blend  into 
the  law  that  God  has  given  man  an  allotted 
time  upon  the  earth.  What  right  have  twelve 
jurors  to  virtually  cancel  the  life  of  a  murderer? 
Incarcerate  the  offender  under  a  life  sentence 
with  proper  food  and  training,  and  ultimately 
that  murderer's  heart  and  soul  might  be  purer 
than  Judge,  jurors  and  all  connected  with  the 
courts  of  justice. 


If  a  criminal  under  excitement  or  cool  pre- 
meditation takes  the  life  of  a  human  being,  the 
cool,  considerate  jurors,  responsible  for  the  death 
penalty,  are  just  as  guilty  of  murder  as  the 
prisoner. 


The  butcher  is  rejected  as  a  juror  on  a  mur- 
der trial  on  the  ground  that  his  business  has 
hardened  his  heart,  and  yet  the  Judge  of  the 
Superior  Court,  the  sheriff  and  his  deputies  and 
the  eligible  jurors  all  eat  of  the  beef  the  butcher 
slaughters. 


Despite  the  protests  that  may  come  to  the 
surface  in  reading  the  inspired,  pointed  truths, 
the  fact  should  be  reiterated  that  Justice,  Kind- 
ness and  Mercy  for  every  living  creature  is  in 
the  heart  and  soul  of  the  true  religionist. 


34  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

The  sand-blind  carnivorous  faith  curist 
(who  reads  his  Bible  through  a  pair  of  eye- 
glasses not  made  by  God  Almighty)  tells  us  of 
a  divine  healing  power. 

We  hear  many  testimonies  from  the  lips  of 
these  people  praising  this  wonderful  (?)  cura- 
tive agency,  but  when  sensibly  considered  we 
know  the  "power"  removes  only  visionary  ills. 

Imaginary  tumors,  etc.,  hypochondria  and 
other  nervous  troubles  readily  yield  to  this  mythi- 
cal physician,  but  no  disease  or  defect  in  reality, 
can  be  removed  until  we  remove  the  physical 
cause. 

If  we  continue  living  regardless  of  natural 
health  laws  all  the  "belief"  and  all  the  "faith" 
and  all  the  "Blood"  cannot  offset  the  inevitable 
result  of  continued  disobedience. 

They  sometimes  speculate  as  to  the  stubborn- 
ness and  apparent  incurability  of  an  ailment  and 
finally  lay  the  blame  to  a  spiritual  insufficiency. 
Ridiculous ! 


Mankind  is  filled  with  patriotism  when  a 
victorious  war  is  ended,  forgetting  the  awful 
gloom  pervading  some  poor  mother's  home. 
The  higher  self  should  make  us  grieve  with 
those  that  grieve  rather  than  be  exultant  at  the 
loss  or  downfall  of  any  nation.  We  should 
love  all  nations  and  nationalities  as  we  do  our 
own,  and  be  bound  together  by  inseparable 
bonds,  realizing  that  we  all  must  pass  to  the 
final  tomb  of  man  on  the  same  level. 


HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY  35 

A  bow  of  horse  hair  coming  in  contact  with 
the  gut  strings  of  a  violin  produces  exquisite 
harmony  that  thrills  every  fibre  of  our  being 
with  ecstasy.  We  can  attribute  the  melody  to 
the  spirit  of  the  deceased  animal  appealing  to 
the  human  heart.  Strange  that  after  life  has 
departed  we  can  charm  the  muses  with  tones 
produced  on  a  stringed  instrument.  What  hu- 
man being  has  ever  bequeathed  to  the  world  a 
substance  to  awaken  the  emotions  of  our  soul 
through  concord  of  sweet  sounds  like  unto  the 
gut  of  a  deceased  animal?  Evidently  there 
is  more  harmony  in  the  entrails  of  lower  crea- 
tures than  we  find  in  the  entire  carcass  of  re- 
ligious civilized  carnivorous  man. 


The  scientist  who  upholds  painful  experi- 
mental surgery  in  the  interest  of  science  should 
give  over  his  own  body  for  experiment  instead 
of  encouraging  the  cruelties  of  vivisection.  It 
hurts  being  "cut  to  pieces,"  consequently  the 
heartless  scientific  fellow,  instead  of  offering  his 
own  body  for  the  dissecting  table,  tortures  a 
poor  friendless  dog  or  other  animal. 

The  horrible  suffering  thousands  of  helpless 
creatures  have  undergone  through  the  process 
of  vivisection  is  heartrending. 

There  should  be  stringent  law  against  such 
inhumanity. 


36  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

A  DEVOUT  (?)  ADMONITION. 

E.  E.  Kusel, 

Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Sir:  I  read  your  "Humanitarian  Phil- 
osophy" booklet  and  I  take  it  as  a  mass 
of  devil  talk.  It  is  not  in  favor  of  the 
Holy  Bible  and  it  says  it  is  wrong  to 
kill  animals.  This  is  crossing  God's 
word.  You  say  it  says  swine  meat  is 
forbidden.  That  is  the  only  true  state- 
ment in  your  book  but  that  is  the  law 
for  the  Jews  only.  You  say  it  says 
thou  shalt  not  kill;  of  course  it  does, 
and  that  has  references  to  the  human 
family  only.  You  say  the  religious  man 
that  does  not  shudder  at  the  works  of 
a  butcher  is  heartless  and  godless.  You 
tell  a  falsehood  there.  I  have  been  a 
believer  fifteen  years  and  I  know  all 
animals  were  made  for  man. 

I  can  see  the  devil  has  a  powerful 
influence  over  you  as  it  had  over  Vol- 
taire, Paine,  Ingersoll,  Edison,  Hub- 
bard  and  other  non-believers.  You  in- 
fidels preach  against  God's  Bible  and 
will  be  burned  in  the  everlasting  fires 
of  hell  for  it.  You  will  be  glad  to  have 
a  drop  of  cold  water  in  your  suffering, 
but  god  will  not  have  mercy — it  will  be 
too  late  then. 

Hell  is  full  of  agnostics  and  infidels 
and  non-believers  burning  and  suffer- 
ing and  I  warn  you  to  have  a  care  as 
to  what  you  say. 

The  Catholics  and  Christian  Scien- 
tists are  as  much  of  the  devil's  doings 
as  you  are,  so  you'll  have  company  if 
you  do  not  repent  of  your  infidelity. 

You  are  adding  to  God's  word  and  it 
ts  punishable  by  his  wrath  (Rev.  22:18.) 

Your  book  is  a  lot  of  lies  and  infi- 
delity. 

N.   S.  W. 
Birmingham,  Ala.,  Jan.  30,  1911* 


HUMANITARIAN    PHILOSOPHY  37 

A  REPLY. 


Mr.    N.    S.   W., 

Birmingham,   Ala. 

My  dear  sir:  In  reply  to  your  letter  of 
Jan.  30th,  concerning  my  "Humanita- 
rian Philosophy,"  I  wish  to  candidly  tell 
you  that  I  am  not  at  all  afraid  of  your 
sort  of  god.  The  God  I  worship  is  not 
very  likely  to  materialize  in  a  selfish 
fanatical  subject,  but  always  comes  to 
the  surface  in  the  heart  and  soul  of  hon- 
orable, conscientious  thinking  men — 
men  who  either  profess  nothing  and 
live  according  to  custom  or  in  men  who 
profess  religion  and  uphold  their  God 
as  kind,  loving  and  merciful. 

This  latter  man  is  an  ethical  vegeta- 
rian and  will  not  accept  the  cruelties 
and  inconsistencies  of  the  Bible  but 
says  "it  is  an  error  in  translation." 

As  to  the  lower  animals,  one  preying 
upon  the  other,  the  conscientious,  de- 
vout Bible  believer  presents  the  theory 
of  his  own  freeing  God  Almighty  from 
the  sinful  responsibility.  He  divides 
Bible  truth  from  Bible  error — he  ac- 
cepts the  lofty  and  beautiful  and  holds 
fast  to  that  which  is  good. 

If  you  intend  to  preach  a  gospel  of 
Love  you  will  find  it  an  utter  impossi- 
bility to  do  so  if  you  do  not  live  a  Hu- 
manitarian life — a  life  that  forbids  the 
killing  of  any  thing  that  suffers  pain, 
and  fear  of  death  as  you  yourself  may 
sometimes  suffer, 

In  conclusion  I  wish  to  impress  you 
with  the  fact  that  your  letter  is  suffi- 
cient proof  that  you  read  the  Bible  in  a 
haphazard  style  and  know  not  its  con- 
tents. 

Every  assertion,  every  quotation  and 
every  conclusion  in  my  "Humanitarian 
Philosophy,"  my  dear  sir,  is  absolutely 
true  and  justified. 

Respectfully, 

E.  E.  KUSEL. 


n 


J8  HUMANITARIAN  PHILOSOPHY 

FROM  THE  W.  A.  T.  L. 

The  tobacco  smoking  on  street  cars 
has  been  very  much  discussed  in  your 
valuable  paper  recently.  Now,  I  will 
suggest  that  all  persons  who  object  to 
the  poisonous  effects  of  tobacco  register 
a  protest  every  chance  they  get  and 
•pend  some  good  money,  as  I  am  doing, 
to  back  up  their  argument  against  the 
most  deadly  plant  used  by  human  be- 
ings. There  is  no  traffic  so  degrading 
in  its  influence  and  effect  as  tobacco. 
It  goes  hand  in  hand  with  liquor,  and 
when  we  stop  the  youth  of  the  land 
from  using  the  weed,  then  the  saloon 
will  have  no  customers. 

G.    L.    R. 
Founder  World's  Anti-Tobacco  League, 

Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

(Prom  Los  Angeles  Herald.) 


THE  "WORST"  SIN. 


The  church  element  construe  the 
Bible  to  blend  into  their  own  desires 
and  appetites  and  then  in  the  name  of 
their  god  (little  g)  they  commit  every 
iniquity  under  the  sun,  the  most  abom- 
inable of  which  is  the  eating  of  "a  beef 
which  has  been  battered  in  the  head 
by  the  blow  of  an  ax  or  mutton  which 
has  had  its  throat  cut  from  ear  to  ear." 

Get  yourself  in  touch  with  the  Infin- 
ite and  you  will  see  that  the  taking  of 
animal  life  for  food  is  a  greater  sin 
than  smoking,  drinking  or  satisfying 
animal  desires.  The  three  last  named 
are  only  sinning  against  the  body  but 
not  commendable  by  any  means,  while 
the  first  is  the  horrible  sin  of  taking 
life. 

Carnivorous  reader  (church  people 
included)  think  these  lines  over  well 
and  then  move  thy  tongue  seven  times 
before  thou  speakest  of  sin! 

E.   E.   KUSEL. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

(Prom  Los  Angeles  Herald.) 


HUMANITARIAN    PHILOSOPHY  39 

MAN  AND  BEAST. 

What  queer  and  wild  notions  relig- 
ious faddists  get  into  their  heads.  T. 
J.  W.  wants  us  to  quit  killing  cattle 
and  hogs,  etc.,  in  fact  all  kinds  of  ani- 
mals and  birds  because  God  has  put 
them  on  earth.  I  would  like  Mr  W.  to 
tell  us  what  would  become  of  us  if  we 
followed  his  advice.  Why,  the  animals 
would  crowd  man  off  the  earth  in  a 
short  while.  The  farmer  could  not 
raise  any  crops.  Cattle,  deer,  hares  and 
sheep  would  eat  his  grain,  the  coyotes 
his  chickens  and  the  lions  would  eat 
him.  C.  V.  Pasadena,  Cal. 

(From  Los  Angeles  Herald.) 


VEGETARIAN'S  REPLY. 

If  you  please,  Mr.  V.,  I  am  not  a  "re- 
ligious faddist."  I  am  not  religious  at 
all.  I  am  a  firm  believer  in  the  Golden 
Rule,  applying  it  to  man  and  beast. 

In  reply  to  your  query,  Mr.  V.  I  will 
answer  briefly:  Self-preservation  is  the 
first  law  of  nature,  so  protect  yourself 
against  the  presumed  invasion  of  tame 
and  wild  beasts,  birds,  etc.,  but  do  not 
presume  we  have  the  right  to  take  life 
,of  anything  which  endures  pain  or  runs-^ 
away  from  impending  danger  unless 
occasion  calls  for  it. 

My  letter  to  the  Herald,  if  you  please, 
was  for  those  who  profess  to  be  godly 
and  "in  the  kingdom."  Religious  peo- 
ple must  be  strictly  humane  or  they 
are  minus  the  God  character  and  their 
profession  is  either  a  phantom  or  hy- 
pocrisy. 

Of  course  men  like  yourself,  who  are 
afraid  of  being  crowded  off  the  earth, 
have  a  special  self-given  right  to  raise 
and  cruelly  slaughter  any  living  crea- 
ture for  eating. 

Meat  eating  will  continue  until  the 
end  of  the  world,  no  doubt,  but  the  Hu- 
manitarian will  not  eat  it;  it  will  be 
devoured  by  ungodly  church  people  and 
outsiders  who  like  the  flavor  of  flesh 
food,  regardless  of  the  wrong  of  pre- 
meditated killing.  T.  J.  W. 

Compton,   Cal. 

(From   Los   Angeles   Herald.) 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


,       2SlanSaa 

in  V7"«*rt  FT"! 

nEC  U  l-L> 

JAN  17  1913 

17 

V 

General  Library 
LD  21A-50m-8,'57                                University  of  Calif  orni 
(C8481slO)476B                                                Berkeley 

Binder 
Gay  lord  Bros. 

Makers 

Stockton,  Cam. 
PAT.  W  21  1908 


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